This book is what you're looking for:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cu...omer-reviews.sort_by=-SubmissionDate&n=283155
I was never exposed to guns when I was growing up. I didn't get into the shooting sports until adulthood. I had no one to show me the ropes, so I looked for information for beginners in print. I tried the magazines, but they are mostly written for those that know at least the basics. I tried books, basic rifle books, basic handgun books, basic shooting books, etc. They were the same. They still assumed the reader has a very basic understanding of guns in general. I didn't, so they were still speaking a language I didn't understand. This problem actually kept me from getting into guns for a few years, because I had no friends that were into guns that could teach me and I couldn't find a source for the very basics. :banghead:
Then I found this book, and it opened the door for me. Unlike all other books I tried, this one assumes the reader doesn't know diddly squat about guns (that was me), not even the difference between a rifle and a shotgun. It starts with the most simple basics with a general introduction that explains such simple points as this. Then it explains the one thing that mystified me for a long time: caliber. I could never understand all the different caliber designations, standard vs. metric, numbers, letters, strange names, abbreviations, several different names for the same cartridge in many cases. It seems as basic as your ABC's now, but to someone never expsoed to it before, it might as well be Greek. After reading the chapter about calibers, it suddenly all made sense (it was actually a great sense of relief to finally understand it
). It then goes into simple stuff like how a cartridge works, and how a gun fires the cartridge.
It covers handguns, rifles, and shotguns separately. With all three types of guns, it follows the same format, first explaining how they work, the different types of actions, different types of sights, the different types of cartridges for different applications, how to work the action and shoot them, very simple ballistics, and finally the different activities that each can be used for (target shooting, competition, hunting, self-defense, etc). It also goes briefly into the basics of cleaning and maintaining them. Then it covers the basics of blackpowder and air guns, and touches on collecting guns. It has some historical information throughout, not intending to be a guide for collectors, but just to give you a taste for all the history behind guns and why you might want to get into collecting.
For me, this book was the key I needed to open the door. When I finished it, I found I could read all the other books and the monthly magazines and I suddenly understood what I was reading. That's when the real learning began, and as my wife puts it, it was all downhill from there. Years later, I now have boxes full of gun magazines in the bedroom and the garage, bookcases full of books, etc. It drives her crazy. But that's how I was able to educate myself. From knowing nothing about guns and having no one to show me, I'm now shooting everything from tactical rifles and carbines, pistols and revolvers, rimfires and military surplus rifles, to flintlock rifles and pistols. It's not easy without someone to teach you, but it can be done if you can just get your foot in the door.
If you have someone that can guide you and explain things, you're lucky. I had to search a long time to find the right source that would open the door for me, and this book turned out to be it. I've even recommended it to a few others that have asked me the same advice. In each case, they read it and later said it was exactly what they were looking for. Amazon has used copies available for $5.75.
